City of Brotherly Love
City of Brotherly Love
By The Fillerbuster
The Cast
October 6, 2024
On a football day, an impromptu baseball blog while the Steelers game is in a weather delay. Off the cuff…
Happy news and sad news combined to get me thinking this week about Philadelphia. I confuse people because I am a Steelers fan through and through (grandparents were from Western PA and that stuck more), but baseball somehow kept my local roots (South Jersey) and fandom.
The happy news is that the Phillies just started their Divisional series against the hated Mets. Playoff baseball is here, the season’s slate is now cleared except for home field advantage, and it is anyone’s title right now. The sad news is that Pete Rose died. He was not well-liked, banned from baseball, and exits Earth as a very misunderstood individual who achieves greatness on the baseball field like not many have ever done.
Pete only played for the Phillies for five years, but his stay happened to hit me in the 7-11 years old window. Rose was on the 1980 World Series winning team, so he achieved the goal of bringing the Big Red Machine excellence to the Phillies. I was an excited kid. I was a big fan. I was a fanatic. My favorite player was actually Mike Schmidt (still is), and the team had a swagger that translated to wins. I actually met The Phanatic once off the field, and a couple times at the games. What a guy.
Most of us know Pete’s stats, and where he stands all-time. You can read those anywhere. Getting a hit in baseball is the right to go to first base, and no one did it more ever than Mr. Rose. Non-fans probably know more about his betting scandals and his banishment from baseball and the Hall of Fame. As I brushed up on his past after his death, I wanted to refresh the audience also about some cool facts.
The nickname. First of all, his nickname could be one of the coolest, ever, in all of sports. Charlie Hustle. The two most prominent stories as to why are the following. Whitey Ford coined it when Pete absolutely sprinted to first base in an early game after getting walked. The nickname weas solidified when Mickey Mantle talked to someone about how Charlie Hustle tried to scale the fence to a home run that was unreachable by anyone. And not only did he slide like there was no tomorrow, but he played in almost all games of every single season. He showed up and gave everyone his best on a regular basis.
The numbers. You could dig deeper, but .303 and 4256 just scream excellence at anyone who will or will not listen. Three titles. Pete’s consistency, numbers, locker room presence, effort, and titles don’t leave him many equals. He was a 17 time All Star, played FIVE different positions (unheard of in any day), won a World Series MVP, was Rookie of the Year, and even snagged two Gold Gloves in case anyone ever argues that he wasn’t a great at any of the positions. Oh, and he also logged in a very simple 44 game hit streak. His 1976 Reds team went undefeated in the playoffs. That is absurd. In ANY sport, not losing a game during a playoff run is impossible pretty much, but in baseball, that is even harder.
The history. He was actually born in Cincinnati, which I did not know. In high school, he started in football, quit the team, repeated a grade, and sort of was all over the place in high school. His uncle whispered in some favors afterwards to the local team, and they gave him a tryout. After getting a shot, he actually started 0-11 in the minor leagues. After his first year, he served in the Army, played winter league in Venezuela to improve, got promoted, and the rest is pretty much history.
The betting. It is very, very wrong to bet on teams while playing sports. My only note on this is that he was betting ON his team, so that’s not so bad.
The nod. The Hall of Fame has forgiven much worse. Pete needed, and still needs, to be in. Heck, Ty Cobb is one of the biggest jerks to ever take a sporting field, and he is still in.
I could go on and on about his career, but that is not where my brain went when inspired to write this blog. Let’s get to that. We could talk all day about tax evasion, autograph sessions, marrying Playboy bunnies, working for WWE, statutory rape allegations, living in Las Vegas, and on and on. Pete will be missed in some ways, but my comparison is something else. Pete was…unlikeable. That is not subjective. That is pretty much agreed upon. He came to Philly to get a World Series title for the city. The Phillies are presently embarking on the playoff run for someone else in the MLB playoffs. The Phils paid big money to bring in Bryce Harper to also get them a title. Bryce hasn’t gotten one yet, but shares similar traits as Pete. Bryce’s numbers jump off the page, he is also a little…unlikeable. In a city that loves their athletes like Philly does, they like you anyway, but some are more liked elsewhere than others.
The Phillies are in the conversation for the best team on paper. They have a better bullpen this year, they have bad memories of getting booted last year when favored, and they play loose, fun, and have a swagger. Game 2 vs. the Mets on Sunday night demonstrated that without a doubt. So, I write this as they begin their quest, and hope it doesn’t end in the shorter series against the Mets. I don’t get the feeling that it will. Not after what they pulled tonight.
Pete Rose’s death reminds us of his storied past, and those five years that he played with the Phillies, he took over the city. Bryce has taken over Philly, and will deliver this year so that he also can be memorable, a World Series hero, and still…unlikeable. Or, let’s call it misunderstood. Do it up, Bryce, and rest in peace, Pete. Go Phils.
(Before I exit stage left, be prepared for a big branding change in the coming weeks. In my blog, in my work life, in my personal life. Coming soon, and presently being work-shopped.)